Improvement in regulating and safety valves



@fz/ i N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON. 0 c.

ivrrnn Sterns n'rmwr @Prien BIRDSILL HOLLY, OF LOCKPOHT, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 13,5 17, dated April 11,1871.

To all ywhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BIRDsiLL HOLLY, of Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a Combined Safety-Valve and Regulating-Valve for laterlVorks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a vertical section taken centrally through the improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top view of the valve. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of one ofthe valves and its casing.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

This invention relates to an apparatus which is designed more particularly for use in conjunction with my improved system of waterworks, for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted to me on the 14th day of September, 1869, wherein forcing-engines are employed as a means for impelling the water through the pipes instead of elevated reservoirs. The object of my invention is to regulate or control the speed of the engines and pumps, so as'to produce and maintain the required pressure of water in the mains,and also to prevent any derangement or injury to the engines, pumps, or pipes, .by relieving them from any undue pressine consequent upon the sudden shutting off of water-as, for instance, the closing of fire-hydrants or the stoppage of several service-pipes at or nearly at the saine time-as will be hereinafter explained.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawing, B B2 represent two valve-boxes, which are bolted down upon a foundation, N, on opposite sides of a fulcrum-standard, S, for a lever, E. The valvebox B has an inlet-pipe, b1, communicating with its interior through its bottom, and an outlet-pipe, b, leading out of one side, above its bottom. Within this valve-box B is an inverted cup-shaped valve, A, of a cylindrical form, which has its upper end perforated, and which works in an inverted cup, B1, and is surrounded by a suitable packing. Beneath valve A, and surrounding the upper end of the inletlpipe b1,

i l l is a seat, s, for valve A, when this valve is down, as shown in Fig. l. The inverted cup B1 is held centrally and rigidly within the box B by means of Wings b2. The valve-rod o, which is secured to valve A, extends up through the ends of cup Bl and box B through suitable stuffing-boxes, and is connected to the lever E by means of a pin, a, which is passed through -a vertically-oblong slot, a. The valve-box B2 is provided with an inlet-pipe, b5, and an outlet-pipe, b4,- and within this box is the precise form, size, and arrangement of parts as described in the valve-box B-that is to say, in box BZ there is a valve, A', working in a cup, B3, which is secured to the box by wings b3. The valve A is arranged directly over a seat, s', which surrounds the upper terminus of the inlet-pipe b5. The valve-rod c of valve A is pivoted at its upper end to the shorter arm of lever E. Both valve-rods c c' are connected to lever E equidistant from the fulcrum f ot this lever. Near the extremity of the longest arm of lever E a piston-rod, r, is pivoted to it, which rod extends down into a small cylinder, l?, and carries on its end a piston, p. To the extremity of the longest arm of lever E a chain weight is attached, which partly rests upon the foundation N. The pipe bl and the lower end of cylinder P are both in commrmication with the water-mains. The pipe b is a waste y 0r outlet pipe for carrying oft" water from the valve-box B. The pipe b5 is in communication with a steam-boiler, and the pipe b1 is in communication with the engine which works the pumps.

It will be seen that both valves A A are balanced--that is to say, the pressure above and below each is equal; consequently they can be easily controlled by the movements ofthe piston p in cylinder l), which piston is actuated by the variations of pressure in the main with which the cylinder I) and pipe b1- are in com muncation. Suppose, for illustration, the required pressure in the mains is forty pounds per square inch, and the wateryalve A closed, as shown in Fig. l. It will be observed that there is a pin, e, in the lever E, which has play in the slot a of valve-rod c, and permits the movement of lever E to a limited extent without raising the water-valve A. This limited movement of the lever E will, however, open ate the steam-valve A', so as to change thc speed of the engines and pumps, and either increase or diminish the supply of water sufficiently for ordinary purposes; but, in case of sudden greatly-increased change of pressure in the mains from any cause, the piston in cylinder 'P would be forced rapidly upward, and, after reaching a certain point, cause the opening of the water-valve A, thereby reducing the pressure, until the chain-weight D carries longest arm of the lever E down sufficiently to close the valve A again. Ii' the regular Workingpressure is reduced from any cause, the longest arm of lever E will be carried still farther down by the chain-weight l), and the steamvalvc A thereby opened, so as to increase the speed ofthe engines and the pumps.

Thus it will be seen that slight changes in the pressuie of the water in the mains will be modified by the action of the piston p on the steam-valve A without a'ecting the watervalve A; but when the pressure of the water is suddenly greatly augmented the piston p will be forced up high enough to raise the water-valve and allow a quantity of water to escape from the mains through valve-bex B at the same time that the steam-valve A is depressed and less steam admitted into the engines.

maken? I have represented the valves A and A as both pivoted to the same lever, E, which is the arrangement I prefer, as being most simple and convenient; but substantially the same result may be produced by pivoting these valves to separate levers, acting either in concert or independently, or in some Vother equivalent manner.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. The balanced steam and water valves Av A', working in boxes B B2, in combination with piston p and its cylinder P, substantially as described.

2. The slot a and pin a, connecting the rod c of the water-valve A to the lever E, whereby the steam-valve will receive a slight movement from piston p independently of the water-valve, substantially as described.

3. The chain-weight D on lever E, in combination with the balanced valves and the piston p, substantially as described.

BIRDSILL HOLLY.

i/Vitnesses R. T. CAMPBELL, J. N. CAMPBELL. 

